My other hobby when I'm not getting 55+ MPG ;)

[hybridbear]

Model train collecting is a hobby that's been in my family for generations. I've come to enjoy model trains because that's something that my mom enjoyed with her dad and passed on to me. I volunteer at a local train museum in St Paul and here are some pictures from there from one of the many layouts and displays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2013 by hybridbear

[corncobs]

Nice secondary hobby I wouldn't think that you would actually have time to do something other than avg 55 MPG because it takes you forever to get anywhere driving so slow. ;-)

 

Nice pictures!

[gkinla]

Thanks for posting the pictures of the layouts. I had a small collection of American Flyer trains many years ago. I still like to look at the American Flyer trains for sale on ebay...wishing I still had my small collection. I liked the pictures of number 261, a big 4-8-4 Loco and Tender.

[LASooner]

Might I suggest an addition? http://www.amazon.com/Greenlight-Sterling-Metallic-Die-Cast-Vehicle/dp/B008FXRG2Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369640567&sr=8-2&keywords=ford+fusion

 

 

just model a tiny Mr Fusion on top of it to explain why a modern car is in that time period.

[jeff_h]

Maybe you need to add an auto transport car or two on there...

[GrySql]

Soon to have a Ford Fusion at the Depot, exactly like the link at Amazon...

It's in the mail. ;)

[acdii]

Well Choo Choo. Going to send you an engineers hat and a box of good n plenty too! :) Those are some nice layouts. Do you have one of your own to share? I started an N scale layout years ago and never went very far with it. Sad story why, I had a small kitten and I had shooshed her away while I was working on it and she wound up in the dryer and was killed, so I lost all interest in it. Maybe some day when my kids are older I might put the layout back up and try it again.

[DeeCee]

Model railroading is a nice hobby. I was in it big time before retirement but have since moved on to other interests. glad you enjoy it and the pictures are great.

[Aquineas]

Fantastic photos. I've always been envious of model railroaders. If I were a cajillionaire, I swear I'd have this in my basement:

 

 

I told my wife that if we find ourselves traveling to Germany, we're definitely paying Hamburg a visit.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Aquineas

[hybridbear]

Thanks for posting the pictures of the layouts. I had a small collection of American Flyer trains many years ago. I still like to look at the American Flyer trains for sale on ebay...wishing I still had my small collection. I liked the pictures of number 261, a big 4-8-4 Loco and Tender.

At the Twin City Model Railroad Museum (the home of the layout in the pictures) we have a couple displays and small layouts of American Flyer trains too. The 261 is owned by the museum and the real life 261 has been fully restored and is operational.

 

Soon to have a Ford Fusion at the Depot, exactly like the link at Amazon...

It's in the mail. ;)

Yep! Thanks GrySql!! :)

 

Well Choo Choo. Going to send you an engineers hat and a box of good n plenty too! :) Those are some nice layouts. Do you have one of your own to share? I started an N scale layout years ago and never went very far with it. Sad story why, I had a small kitten and I had shooshed her away while I was working on it and she wound up in the dryer and was killed, so I lost all interest in it. Maybe some day when my kids are older I might put the layout back up and try it again.

When I was in Middle School we built a layout in the basement of my parents' house. It isn't landscaped like this one is though. Since I moved out a few years ago I've been bringing my trains to the museum periodically to run so that more people can enjoy them. N scale is tiny, I like O scale because it's easier to work with while not being too huge. It's also a nice scale for kids as well. Sorry about the kitten :(

 

Model railroading is a nice hobby. I was in it big time before retirement but have since moved on to other interests. glad you enjoy it and the pictures are great.

What scale did you collect? Thanks

[DeeCee]

Back in my working days in the St. Louis area I was into N-scale. No home layout but a club I belonged to was into N Scale modular railroading and I built several four foot and six foot modules. Before I retired I started collecting some G scale items with the plan to build an outdoor garden layout after retirement. When I did retire we moved to a gated retirement community in south central Arkansas which is quite hilly in this area and we built our home on what they call a view lot, i.e. on a hillside, so there was no real area available for an outdoor layout so I gave up on that one too. Have since li9quidated most of my model railroading empire. Hot Springs Village here is big on golfing with eight 18 hole courses in the Village so I became a "golf addict" and also got interested in woodworking so have not really missed the model railroading.

[acdii]

Hence the reason I like RC flying. In the workshop on dreary days, at the field flying on nice. Dang cant wait until the day I can do it on a whim.

[hybridbear]

Here are some more pictures

 

My grandpa with his trains, this picture was published in a little article in the local newspaper back in the 70s

 

Layout at my parents' house, first train to test the tracks while we were building

 

Lash-up of diesels like we would see around Minneapolis years ago

 

The only "landscaping" I ever did on my layout

 

This has always been my favorite spot on the layout to take pics

 

Even the cat loved the trains. He would come and lay on the train layout while they were running or sit up in the window watching from above

 

Some of the detail is just amazing! The print on the sticker there is so small you almost need a magnifying glass to read it

 

A couple of steam engines I've had a long time

 

An auto carrier, hauling Corvettes if I recall

 

Santa Fe diesels. My favorite train I've ever owned. These are on a shelf displayed at my parents house because they don't run anymore. I wore them out

 

Lego Airport Shuttle set that we made to look like our Light Rail in Minneapolis, along with a Metro Transit bus. Since my dad worked for Metro Transit for over 15 years I've always had an interest in public transit. That was his job for most of my childhood

[DeeCee]

Nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

[CombsAuthor]

Great thread!

I love trains of all sizes and also enjoy getting to know others in this forum.

[Aquineas]

Great photos! Again, I envy you. (And that is a MASSIVE cat!!!)

[acdii]

Some day I should find my old thread and add new pics of the stuff I have. Battle of the Hobbies! :)

[hybridbear]

Some day I should find my old thread and add new pics of the stuff I have. Battle of the Hobbies! :)

That would be really cool to see :)

[hybridbear]

Here are some pics of the other layouts in our division of the museum. Our division is called the "Toy Train Division", as opposed to the scale division which is the other part of the museum. On our side there are tons of accesories with buttons for kids (and adults) to push to activate different things on the layouts, as well as layouts that the kids can operate.

 

Pennsylvania 4-6-2 Pacific owned by the museum

 

One of the other layouts that has lots of operating accesories

 

Lionel factory

 

Occasionally accidents happen

 

Tinplate trains, some of these trains are modern reproductions and others go back to the 1950s

 

THe rollercoaster is a favorite attraction of kids & adults

 

Dealer display, these trains are from the 1940s and 50s. The gray & yellow cars streaking by in the pic are mine

 

We have all different scales of trains, this is an N scale layout

 

There are two layouts of Thomas the Tank Engine and friends that the kids can operate

 

More accesories that people can push buttons to activate as they walk around

 

Some of you might have had American Flyer trains, we have a few layouts in that scale as well

 

Can you spot the roller coaster?

It's the blur of yellow going through the loop

Edited June 2, 2013 by hybridbear

[hybridbear]

Big powerful diesel, this engine was towing over 20 frieght cars yesterday. Now 20 isn't a lot compared to real trains, but for a model train that is a lot

 

Another layout that kids can operate

 

One of two HO layouts we have

 

There are other layouts too, I didn't get the chance to take pics of all of them yesterday. If anyone is ever in the Twin Cities I encourage you to stop by the Twin City Model Railroad Museum (www.tcmrm.org)

[brcd131]

Nice layouts!!! Fun for all.

[hybridbear]

Thanks! It really is fun for the kids. Most train layouts that are open to the public don't allow the kids to get up so close and operate some layouts and push buttons to activate accessories. That's something that keeps families coming back. I enjoyed coming to the museum as a kid with my parents, even though they didn't have the Toy Train Division back then that is designed to be interactive with the kids. Now I hope the kids and their parents have even more fun. I'll continue to post more pics periodically.

[Sleddog]

Here's the toys I use in my other hobby...

 

My other hobby is shooting 3 gun competitions.

 

I also shoot the FNP Tactical with a suppressor, just for fun.

Edited June 3, 2013 by Sleddog

[djminfll]

When I was a kid, my parents bought a house on Long Island (NY) that had a wood paneled basement. I noticed a keyhole at the top of the wall, and had my dad force it open, and when we opened it, we found that it was hinged at the bottom, and the entire wall dropped down to reveal a huge model train layout which included houses, trees, farm animals, and a complete set of Lionel trains that were made entirely of metal, each train car was quite heavy to pick up. When we sold the house ten years later, I begged my dad to bring it with us and replace the wall with a new wood panel, but he said it was too much trouble. I can't even imaging what that would be worth today.

Thanks for sharing the pics, Hybridbear, it was very nostalgic to see them!

[hybridbear]

When I was a kid, my parents bought a house on Long Island (NY) that had a wood paneled basement. I noticed a keyhole at the top of the wall, and had my dad force it open, and when we opened it, we found that it was hinged at the bottom, and the entire wall dropped down to reveal a huge model train layout which included houses, trees, farm animals, and a complete set of Lionel trains that were made entirely of metal, each train car was quite heavy to pick up. When we sold the house ten years later, I begged my dad to bring it with us and replace the wall with a new wood panel, but he said it was too much trouble. I can't even imaging what that would be worth today.

Thanks for sharing the pics, Hybridbear, it was very nostalgic to see them!

Do you have any pictures of that? That sounds so cool!!